Strawberry chia jam

Have any of you moms felt like you can take on the world with your little ones by your side? Might sound highly exaggerated but I get that feeling a lot off late. Adya is not even 3 btw :D. He is mega observational (gone after his dad on this) & understands how things should happen/ shouldn’t happen. The other day we had gone to a park & I forgot to close the boot of the car after removing his ride on scooter. We almost entered the park when Adya noticed the boot was open. He made sure to convey that to me (he kept telling me, Amma car..), I thanked him, closed the boot & we both proceeded to the park. The security guard of the park saw all this & gave a huge smirk, I reciprocated :D. Well, what else could I have done anyways? 🙂 The other day I had parked my car in a different place than my usual & once we were done with our regular outing aka park, I started walking in the usual car park direction. Adya remembered that we had parked the car else where & kept calling out to me, pointing at the opposite direction. I understood what he tried to convey & was genuinely proud of how smart he is (all kids of this generation are super smart). I did not feel bad being extremely dumb in front of him. The only feeling I got/ get at any such instance is that I can take on the world if I have him next to me :). Funnily, I feel safe around him though logically/ practically, that is so not true. Adya Padya, I love you & I love seeing you grow into a fine person.

Anywho, this food post & Adya have nothing in common. Well, maybe just one thing – he likes chia seeds :). But that’s about it. This one was made fully for the bigger kid in the house :). I had made a batch of granola that D really liked. He generally does not taste any of the healthy things I make. Funnily, he tasted it & really liked it (said it tasted a lot like the nature valley stuff that’s out there :)), said he could take it for breakfast with some extra sweetener (my granola isn’t very sweet. it’s perfect for me & Adya). I had a box of strawberries at home & voila, made this quick & easy jam for him. He loved it which I loved :). So overall, a few happy souls in the house, thanks to the granola & the jam.

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Strawberry chia jam

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

 

Course: Dips

Cuisine: International

Servings: 1 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups (heaped) strawberries roughly 250-300gms
• 4 tbsp refined/ brown sugar
• 2 tbsp chia seeds check recipe notes
• 1 small lemon squeeze roughly 1.5-2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Clean/ cull the strawberries & chop it roughly. 

2. Place this in a pan, sprinkle sugar on top of it & place the plan on medium-high heat. 

3. The sugar & the sugar from the strawberries start to water & the syrup starts to bubble, the strawberries start to soften (roughly 5 minutes). 

4. Give it another few minutes & start mashing the strawberries using the back side of a spatula. Turn the heat to low at this point. 

5. When you are done mashing about 75% of the strawberries, add the chia seeds & mix everything together. 

6. The chia seeds will start to soak up the liquid & will start to expand/ get gelatinous. 

7. When the jam reaches its desired consistency (when chia seeds pretty much soaks up all the liquid), turn off the heat. 

8. Add the lemon juice at this stage & mix everything together. Let the mixture cool down. 

9. Transfer to an airtight container & store it in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. 

Recipe Notes

1. Use only 1tbsp chia seeds if you want the spread to be slightly loose jam or if you haven't really caught on to the taste of chia seeds or if you are introducing chia for the first time to your kids.
2. You can use maple syrup/ agave/ honey/ jaggery instead of sugar.
3. You can even do away with the sweetener totally if the strawberries are sweet enough. If you are doing that, then squeeze the lemon on top of the chopped strawberries before starting to reduce/ heat them. 
4. You can skip the lemon altogether if you don't want the lemon kick & just want it to be sweet through & through. 
5. You can add chopped mint leaves when you add chia seeds. I would have loved the flavour of mint in this. My mil did not seem to think the 2 can gel well & hence I avoided adding this. 

Stepwise pictures

In a pan, place chopped strawberries & add some sugar.

Heat the pan & let the strawberries soften on medium-high heat.

The sugar & the sugar in the strawberries start to water & the sauce starts bubbling & the strawberries start to soften (this is in about 5 minutes).

Give it another few minutes & start mashing the softened strawberries with the back of the broad spatula. Turn the heat to low at this point.

As you mash up the strawberries, you will notice the sauce starting to reduce/ thicken.

Once you are done mashing up the strawberries to around a 75%, add in some chia seeds & mix it all up (this helps in the gooey thickness).

Let the whole mixture cook for a few minutes while you continue to mash up the strawberries. Chia has a tendency to expand & become gelatinous when combined with any liquid. That’s exactly what you’ll see happen here.

When you have mashed up the strawberries, you know the jam is ready & almost all the water will be absorbed by the chia seeds. Turn off the heat. Squeeze some lime for that lip smacking effect. You can skip this step if you prefer the jam to be totally sweet.

Let the jam cool down. You will see it thicken further.

Transfer to an airtight container and store it in a refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Enjoy using it as a spread on bread or as an additional sweetener to granola.